"There's never been a conscious decision to reboot, it's just a decision to try new things and express the world in a new way," said Smith.

"There's always been an evolution of the look and feel; it just happens to be that we played Black and White, and Heart Gold and Soul Silver, and Diamond and Pearl, and Platinum - all of those games on the same platform. So it feels like it's been a long time in the same way. But between the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color, and moving up into the DS now, it's always had that change."

Announced during a Direct presentation by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, the games will feature brand new Pokémon such as Chespin, Fennekin and Froakie, as well as a new female adventurer.

Gallery: Pokemon X, Y legendaries and first screenshots:

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